Remember Rita MacNeil, share this post.

MacNeil was famously shy, but overcame her shyness through the encouragement of her parents.

“You can be shy,” she said. “You can work through all kinds of struggle. But somewhere deep down, you have to have belief or nothing’s going to happen.”

5) Juno-Winning Singer

MacNeil earned her first Juno award in 1987 at age 42 for most promising female artist, and went on to win two others.

6) Other Awards

MacNeil recorded more than 24 albums, selling millions of copies worldwide. She won numerous East Coast Music Awards and Country Music Awards. She also won a Gemini for her CBC variety show ‘Rita & Friends’ which ran from 1994 to 1997.

7) Famous Condolences

RIP Rita MacNeil. I am deeply saddened by the loss of a dear sweet woman and a gifted singer – songwriter who… fb.me/2YuwKiLx9

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of a dear sweet woman and a gifted singer-songwriter who represented women and her beloved Nova Scotia so eloquently in her songs,” fellow singer Anne Murray, who also hails from Nova Scotia, told the Globe and Mail.